AUGUSTA — “The issues we’ve dealt with in Augusta have been pretty interesting, if not downright amazing,” Duguay, Augusta’s development director, told a large gathering of transportation specialists during a panel at Thursday’s 61st Maine Transportation Conference at the Augusta Civic Center.

Reducing your energy bill means finding ways to use less. And while there are a number of big-ticket ways to cut costs — such as replacing windows — state and private energy experts say there is plenty of money to be saved on the cheap.

Calling for an oil delivery these days can make one cringe. But homeowners are not the only ones who detest soaring oil prices, said John Babb, president of Manchester-based J&S Oil. Volatility, especially, and the rising cost of oil in general, has forced a number of dealers out of the industry.

MANCHESTER — John Babb looks at the computer screen at his desk as numbers bounce up and down with the constant stream of information from Wall Street.

Craig Johnson settled into the couch, trying to catch his breath after walking across the room. The small pouch strapped under his arm dumped chemicals into his body to battle the cancer that so far has been unable to kill him, but has kept him from working for nearly four years.